TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. -- General Motors will put the Chevrolet Camaro sports car into production in late 2008, and put it on sale in early 2009, CEO Rick Wagoner said today.

The Camaro will closely resemble the concept car unveiled in January at the Detroit auto show, Wagoner said at the Management Briefing Seminars here.

The new Camaro will be a rear-wheel-drive car with independent rear suspension. The car's styling work is being done in the United States, while the rear-drive platform is being engineered in Australia, Wagoner said. Buyers will have a choice of V-6 and V-8 engines, and manual and automatic transmissions.

GM will announce the car's production site later, Wagoner said. He said that it would be built in North America.

Asked if there would be a convertible version, Wagoner said, "It will come in many shapes and sizes."

He made no comment on the potential for a Pontiac Firebird version of the car.

Here's something for thought. Lately, GM has been incredibly protective of new vehicle launches, release dates, leaked pictures of future cars, etc. The Tahoe was supposed to come out in September or so of this year, but GM suddenly bumped up the release date to late winter/early spring of this year. They kept us on our toes waiting for them to finally officially announce the release of Camaro. So they know just how bad America wants this car. And I'm gonna say that they will use that anticipation to fuel sales of this car. It's very possible that GM will pull a "Tahoe" and release this thing in early '08 or so because they see some serious profit potential, and it only makes sense to release it as soon as possible. Everyone has seen how successful the new Tahoe is. Why can't they do the same for the Camaro? Any thoughts?

I agree why not pull a Tahoe on us, I have awaited this day all week in great anticipation. My wife and I cant wait, strangely she seems somewhat excited, and she never does about a car. But man oh, man, what a car. If I were a bettin man, I would put my money on May of 2008! For the first run. Based on info obtained at my dealer, which is probably not worth much, but they gave me the heads up on production 2 months ago. So we will see.

Here's something for thought. Lately, GM has been incredibly protective of new vehicle launches, release dates, leaked pictures of future cars, etc. The Tahoe was supposed to come out in September or so of this year, but GM suddenly bumped up the release date to late winter/early spring of this year. They kept us on our toes waiting for them to finally officially announce the release of Camaro. So they know just how bad America wants this car. And I'm gonna say that they will use that anticipation to fuel sales of this car. It's very possible that GM will pull a "Tahoe" and release this thing in early '08 or so because they see some serious profit potential, and it only makes sense to release it as soon as possible. Everyone has seen how successful the new Tahoe is. Why can't they do the same for the Camaro? Any thoughts?

...Friggin' incredible car, by the way.

Right...

At my former employer we would leak false information out about certain vehicles to fool are competition. Then once the vehicle was launched we would stand back and laugh when we out performed them...

DETROIT -- The reborn Chevrolet Camaro, due in early 2009, will be a muscle car tailored to an era of expensive gasoline, Chevrolet's top marketer said today.

Speaking at a press event, Chevrolet General Manager Ed Peper said: "We will offer V-6 and V-8 engine variants. We think we'll be able to have really strong gas mileage, certainly on the V-6 model and the V-8, too."

General Motors uses cylinder deactivation, which it markets as Active Fuel Management, to boost mileage on its new crop of full-sized SUVs. Peper said that technology could be used on the Camaro.

"We may well have Active Fuel Management on the V-6, if that's what somebody wants," he said. "But remember, we produce Corvettes now that get over 400 hp and get 28 miles to the gallon."

Despite rising gasoline prices, the Camaro gives GM an entry into the growing muscle-car revival that includes cars such as Ford's Mustang-based Shelby GT500 and the Dodge Challenger, scheduled to reach showrooms in 2008 with a Hemi engine.

Peper identified the Mustang and Challenger as key competitors. GM has declined to reveal Camaro pricing, but Peper said the car is "going to be the best value in every segment where we can be."

Production in 2008

GM has big plans for the Camaro. CEO Rick Wagoner said today that the car will go into production in late 2008 and will go on sale in early 2009. The production Camaro will closely resemble the concept car unveiled in January at the Detroit auto show, he said.

Wagoner said the sports coupe will be available with a variety of engines and transmissions. He hinted that a convertible version might also be in the works.

"It will come in many shapes and sizes," Wagoner said.

The car will be engineered by GM's Holden subsidiary in Australia but built in North America, Wagoner said today at the Management Briefing Seminars in Traverse City, Mich.

GM will announce the car's production site later, Wagoner said. He made no comment on the potential for a Pontiac Firebird version of the car.

Before GM killed both cars in 2002, the Firebird was a sibling vehicle of the old Camaro. But giving Pontiac a new Firebird appears to be a subject of debate within GM.

John Larson, GM's general manager of Pontiac-Buick-GMC, says he intends to push for a Chevrolet Camaro-type product for Pontiac, possibly to replace the GTO. Pontiac will kill the GTO at the end of this model year. But company insiders have said Pontiac will not get a Firebird.

Independent rear suspension

Wagoner did not offer many technical details, but he did say the new Camaro would have an independent rear suspension system to improve handling. That is a feature that Mustang fans clamored for but did not get.

High-performance variants of the Camaro will likely be powered by a version of GM's classic small block V-8 engine -- such as the one used in the outgoing GTO, which developed 400 hp.

The 2009 Camaro will share some styling cues with the 1969 model, but GM does not view it as a retro car, Wagoner said. The goal of the new car's styling was to appeal to those who like the '69 model, along with younger buyers, he said.

Since showing the concept version of the Camaro at the Detroit auto show, GM has been flooded with requests to build the car and has been offered deposits by enthusiasts.

It took GM about eight months to make a business case for the Camaro. Wagoner said today that he agreed with GM Vice Chairman Bob Lutz's assessment that the company could sell 100,000 Camaros a year. Ford Motor Co. sold 100,995 Mustangs through July of this year.

GM was widely expected to approve the car for production. In April, a Detroit area GM dealer even started advertising the car for sale.

What an awesome thing to read in my e-mail. You can bet that I will be at the head of the line to order mine. Unlike some of you I think the wait will not be so bad. It will give them more time to test and tune the car before it hits the streets. Besides, both my truck and boat will be paid for by then and that means more money for upgrades on the Camaro!!!!

It is great news that the Camaro is going into production with very few changes to the concept design. I want one so bad I can't stand it however I am disappointed that GM is waiting until 2009 to make it available. I have a 1998 Camaro that I am looking to trade in a year or two. GM needs to move the release date to summer 2008 at the latest. Why does GM insist on being the last one to enter the market. As bad as I want a new Camaro if I have to trade and get something else first then GM will just lose a customer.